Green skills provision inadequate

The UCU university and college union says its new Green gap report on environmental skills must act as a wake-up call for national and local government if the UK is to deliver the workforce required for a successful transition to a net-zero economy by 2030.

The report, commissioned by the UCU and carried out by SOS-UK Students Organising for Sustainability, identifies “significant challenges across the skills system”, particularly within the further education (FE) system. It highlights that while FE colleges are central to vocational and technical training in the UK, many report severe instructor shortages, particularly in energy and construction-related fields.

The union points out that pay for FE technical educators is significantly below industry levels, in some cases by as much as £25,000 a year, which is leading to recruitment and retention challenges. The report also finds that college facilities are often “grossly outdated”, with limitations in space, equipment and curriculum capacity to deliver green qualifications.

Its key recommendations include increasing funding to enable colleges to offer competitive salaries, and ringfencing funding for green skills provision.

“Further education colleges and their workforces have a vital role to play in the green skills agenda, and the government must invest properly if it is to even come close to meeting its own climate targets,” said UCU general secretary Jo Grady.

“Without urgent intervention, the UK risks missing these targets due to an insufficiently skilled workforce.”